Newsweed / Cannabis news / Cannabis in Africa / Cannabis in South Africa

South Africa: government approves cannabis legalization bill

Published

6 years ago

August 10, 2020

Aurélien BERNARD

Follow Newsweed on Google

Legalization of cannabis in South Africa

The South African government has approved the cannabis legalization bill and sent the text to Parliament for reading.

ADVERTISING

More than three years ago, the High Court of Cape Town ruled that the ban on private use of cannabis was unconstitutional, a decision confirmed in 2018 by the country's Constitutional Court.

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, said at a press briefing on Thursday that the bill would codify the Constitutional Court's ruling that parts of the Drug Trafficking Act and the Drug and Related Substances Control Act were unconstitutional.

The ruling was suspended for two years to allow legislators to correct the affected sections of the laws, he said in his remarks.

Details of the proposal have not yet been published. They require parliamentary scrutiny and a public consultation process before becoming law.

ADVERTISING

All we know is that «this bill regulates the consumption and possession of cannabis and the cultivation of cannabis plants by an adult for personal use. It sets a limit on the amount of cannabis an adult can possess, and criminalizes the use of cannabis in public places,» according to a declaration by Ronald Lamola.

In the meantime, the’South Africa has begun to develop its medical cannabis industry and open access to hemp cultivation for CBD purposes.

Related Topics:Cannabis in Africa Legalization of cannabis

Up Next

Arizona to vote on cannabis legalization in November

Don't Miss

United States: Cannabis legalization hurts Mexican cartels

Aurélien BERNARD

Aurélien founded Newsweed in 2015. Particularly interested in international regulations and the various cannabis markets, he also has an extensive knowledge of the plant and its uses.